by Margi Preus
The experiences of other characters in the story are based on those of real people. The exploits of Aksel Pedersen are based on those of a schoolmate of Erling’s friends who became a Gestapo man. The events in the chapter “The Bicycle” are also based on real events.
My interest in this period in history was sparked by my father’s stories of relatives and friends who got involved in Resistance efforts in Norway, including a doctor who performed “emergency appendectomies” or wrapped faces in gauze (“burn victims”) for those who needed to disappear for a while. Although the character of Kjell is fictional, the idea of friends at odds was inspired by my father’s close friendship with someone who later became an official in the Norwegian Nazi government during the Occupation.
Many Norwegian soccer or sports teams, when they were usurped by the Nazis, reorganized into underground teams, and some became Milorg groups. Although the soccer team and Espen’s friends and soccer mates Leif, Ole, Stein, Per, and Gust are fictional, many similar experiences happened to men in Erling’s circle. The chapter in which the bicycle shop employee climbs through a window to warn Ole, and then Ole warns Leif and Leif climbs into an air shaft to escape the Gestapo, is based on real experiences of the men Erling worked with in Milorg. Erling and his friends built a weapons depot (“Oleanna” in Espen’s story), which is where the real-life Snekkeren (the joiner) worked as a radio operator. Once, while transporting a radio part of Snekkeren’s for repair, Erling was caught out in the open by a German surveillance plane flying so low that he could see the pilot’s face. Erling waved and shouted like an excited kid. The pilot waved back and flew away.
You can read more about Erling Storrusten (“The Potato Spy”), as well as many other fascinating stories, at Geoff and Else Ward’s excellent website, www.wwiinorge.com.
rling’s first spy mission was to identify several very large things being carried on flatbed train cars. These things were covered by tarps, and the train carrying them was heavily guarded by armed German soldiers. Erling bought a ticket and pretended to be a passenger unable to find the passenger car so that he could walk the length of the train and try to inspect what was under the tarps. When he figured out what was being transported, he sent a coded message to a contact up the rail line. The message was successfully delivered … and the items in question never made it to their destination.
The code might have looked something like this:
121415164793642312143523832577892542899913794661
Here’s how this particular (simpler) code works:
1. The code is organized in groups of three numbers. Each group of three numbers equals one letter. The first number indicates the line on the page. The second number indicates the word in that line, and the third number indicates the letter in the word.
2. The code relies on having an agreed upon code book. In this case, the code book will be Shadow on the Mountain
3. The page number is hidden in the long line of numbers, above. (The 3 digit page number follows the first 6 letters in the coded message.)
Can you decipher the code and figure out what the message says? Once you’ve deciphered it, turn to this page to see if you have the correct answer.
For more codes and information about Erling’s code, visit www.margipreus.com.
ne of the invisible inks used by the Norwegian Resistance was developed by analyzing (in the laboratory of a veterinary school) the properties of an ink used by the Germans. The Norwegians then developed a different one by reversing the process. This ink was used successfully throughout the Occupation.
But invisible inks don’t have to be complicated. There are also easy ways of making ink using simple ingredients found in your kitchen.
LEMON JUICE
To the juice of half a lemon add ½ teaspoon of water. Stir well.
Dip a cotton swab, a small paintbrush, or a toothpick into the solution and write a message on a piece of clean paper.
Allow the paper to air-dry.
Reveal the message by holding the paper over a heat source, such as a 100-watt lightbulb (over it, not on it). Don’t leave the paper unattended.
Tip: For extra confusion, first write a decoy message in pencil or pen. Then write your real secret message with your invisible ink between the lines.
Vinegar, apple juice, baking soda, sugar, or salt (mixed with a small amount of water) will also make an invisible ink that can be revealed with the heat sources mentioned above. Words written in vinegar can also be revealed with red cabbage juice.
* * *
MESSAGE IN CODE ANSWER
The code on this page spells out the following message:
ONE MAN TORPEDOES
This refers to small single-manned, torpedo-equipped submarines, also known as midget submarines or human torpedoes.
* * *
Aase-Berit Grindal; her brother, Alv Magnus; and Erling Storrusten lounge in the garden. (1943)
Lillehammer Tourist Hotel. The hotel and the surrounding forests were the headquarters of the Germans in Norway after they retreated front Finland in 1944. (ca. 1940s) (COURTESY OF ELSE WARD)
Nszi soldiers march along a street in Oslo, Norway. (ca.1940) (J.W CAPPELENS ARKIV)
The food lines in Oslo, Norway. People often waited hours to buy food or to use ration cards, and often stores would sell out well before the crowds disappeared. (1942) (COLLECTION OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)
Nordmenn —Kjemp for Norge (“Nordic men —Fight for Norway”). A German Waffen SS propaganda poster that plays on the Norwegian ancestral heritage of the noble Vikings. The Waffen SS was a multinational, multiethnic military force of the Third Reich. (1942) (ARTIST: HARALD DAMSLETH)
Bli med oss nordover! Den Norske Skijegerbataljon (“Follow us north! The Norwegian Ski Ranger Battalion”). A Norwegian Waffen SS propaganda poster. The white suit was camouflage against the snow. Exposed areas such as the face were smeared with “black fat” to prevent frostbite. The Norwegian Waffen SS consisted primarily of Norwegian citizens who willingly fought for the Nazis. (1942) (ARTIST: HARALD DAMSLETH)
Erling Storrusten (left) and King Olav of Norway (right), at the 50th anniversary celebration of the end of the war. Erling’s first guide, Taraldstad, told the king that when he escorted Erling to Sweden, he was given orders to shoot Erling if they were captured by the Germans! Erling knew too much about the Resistance to allow him to be interrogated by the Nazis. (1995)
Erlitig Storrusten stands outside a German bunker near the Lillehammer Tourist Hotel. (2007) (COURTESY OF ELSE WARD)
Advarsel. Røde toppluer (“Warning. Red caps”), reads this exhibition card at the Norsk Hjemmefrontmuseum (Norway’s Resistance Museum) in Olso, Norway. So many people wore the red caps in protest against the German occupation that the occupying power made it a punishable offense. The sign is a warning that the wearing of red hats would be banned beginning February 26, 1942.(COURTESY OF ALEXANDER NILSSEN)
Margi Preus (left) with Erling Storrusten and his wife, Aase-Berit. (2011)
ere is a timeline of actual events that occurred during the Occupation of Norway by German forces. Efforts were made to coordinate the novel’s events with the accurate historical dates wherever possible; however, for the purposes of narration and plot, some events in the story do not align exactly with historical dates.
1940
APRIL 9
Nazi Germany invades Norway
JUNE 7
King Haakon and government leave Norway for England
JUNE 9
Norwegian forces capitulate; the king and government decide to continue the fight from England
AUGUST 15
Children return to school for the first time since April 8
SEPTEMBER 25
Norwegian constitution abolished by Reichskommissar Terboven; all weapons to be turned over to the Germans by October 4
1941
FEBRUARY 17
Two-day strike by high school students against Nazi propaganda and bullying tactics of Quisl
ing’s hird
MARCH 4
First British commando raid in Norway
MARCH 17
German is to be taught instead of English in schools from 1942 on
APRIL 23
All high school graduation celebrations prohibited
APRIL 28
“Books that damage national and social progress” prohibited
APRIL 29
Two of Norway’s biggest holidays—May 1 and May 17—are decreed “normal working days”
MAY 30
Concerts must be approved; all song texts censored
AUGUST 2
Radios confiscated (exceptions for members of NS)
AUGUST 20
All Resistance in German-occupied countries is to be attributed to Communists; for every German killed in such cases, 50–100 hostages are to be executed
SEPTEMBER 26
Death penalty for attempting to “escape to enemy territory, or activities on behalf of the enemy”
DECEMBER 26– 27
British commando raids against some coastal towns
DECEMBER 29
More German troops and ships sent to Norway
1942
JANUARY 5
Quisling signs National Youth Service law and Teachers Union law
JANUARY 7
Hitler issues Nacht und Nebel (Night and Fog) decree
JANUARY 24
The wearing of red hats (worn by students as “demonstration”) prohibited
FEBRUARY
Executions in Ålesund and Televaag and reprisals for Norwegian Resistance
FEBRUARY 5
Teachers ordered to join the Teachers Union under NS control
MARCH 9
Labor and Athletics minister receives 5,000 letters from parents protesting Youth Service Act
MARCH 14
Dancing in public prohibited
MARCH–APRIL
Teachers reject new union; Quisling orders Norwegian police to arrest 1,100 teachers, 500 of whom are sent to forced labor camps in northern Norway
APRIL 5
Churches filled to capacity to hear sermon on “The Foundation of the Church”; most pastors resign
MAY 5
High school students to be called up for labor service
AUGUST 3
King’s birthday; “illegal” flowers sold; over 200 arrested in Oslo for carrying flowers
SEPTEMBER 16
“Look to Norway” speech by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
OCTOBER 12
Terboven institutes death penalty for listening to radio, reading illegal newspapers, or possessing anti-German literature
OCTOBER–NOVEMBER
Jewish men, then women and children, arrested
NOVEMBER
Teachers who had been exiled to forced labor return home
DECEMBER–FEBRUARY 1943
760 Norwegian Jews sent to Auschwitz concentration camp
1943
FEBRUARY
Germans defeated at Stalingrad—a psychological turning point of the war
FEBRUARY 22
National Labor Act: all men ages 18–55 and all women ages 21–40 to register
FEBRUARY 28
Sabotage of Norsk Hydro “heavy water” plant, slowing work on possible German nuclear bomb
MARCH 25
New National Labor Act: all “healthy Norwegian youths to register”
NOVEMBER 30
1,200 university students arrested, 650 deported to prisons in Germany
1944
JUNE 6
D-day: Allied troops land at Normandy
SEPTEMBER
Finland surrenders to Russia; Germans retreat to Norway, use scorched-earth tactics in Finnmark (northern Norway)
WINTER 1944–45
Harshest winter of the war; severe food shortages
1945
MAY 5–7
Germans capitulate in northwest Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and France
MAY 7
German surrender in Norway
MAY 8
Church bells rung for full hour at 3:00 P.M.
JUNE 7
King Haakon returns to Oslo, five years to the day he departed
The following four books for young readers are wonderful stories about brave young people in Nazi-occupied Norway (and Denmark). Many fascinating stories can also be found at www.wwiinorge.com.
Casanova, Mary. The Klipfish Code. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Fuller, William, with Jack Haines. Reckless Courage; The True Story of a Norwegian Boy Under Nazi Rule. Marion, Mass.: Taber Hall Press, 2004.
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. (Denmark)
McSwigan, Marie. Snow Treasure. New York: Dutton, 1942.
*Recommended for further reading or for advanced readers.
BOOKS
Adamson, Hans Christian, and Per Klem. Blood on the Midnight Sun. New York: Norton, 1964.
Astrup, Helen, and B. L. Jacot. Oslo Intrigue: A Woman’s Memoir of the Norwegian Resistance. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1954.
Baden-Powell, Dorothy. Pimpernel Gold: How Norway Foiled the Nazis. New York: St. Martin’s, 1978.
* Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. New York: Scholastic, 2005.
Berman, Irene Levin. We Are Going to Pick Potatoes: Norway and the Holocaust—The Untold Story. Lanham, Md.: Hamilton Books, 2010.
Broch, Theodor. The Mountains Wait. St. Paul, Minn.: Webb Book Publishing, 1942.
Cohen, Maynard H. A Stand Against Tyranny: Norway’s Physicians and the Nazis. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1997.
Gardner, John. On Moral Fiction. New York: Basic Books, 1978.
* Haukelid, Knut. Skis Against the Atom. Minot, N. Dak.: North American Heritage Press, 1989.
Hoye, Bjarne, and Trygve Ager. The Fight of the Norwegian Church Against Nazism. New York: Macmillan, 1943.
* Ippisch, Hanneke. Sky. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
Nielsen, Thomas. Inside Fortress Norway: Bjorn West—Norwegian Guerilla Base, 1944–1945. Manhattan, Kans.: Sunflower University Press, 2000.
Petrow, Richard. The Bitter Years: The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway, April 1940–May 1945. New York: Morrow, 1974.
Riste, Olav, and Gerit Nokleby. Norway 1940–45: The Resistance Movement. Oslo, Norway: Tano, 1986.
Scott, Astrid Karlsen. Silent Patriot: Norway’s Most Highly Decorated WWII Soldier and Secret Agent. Olympia, Wash.: Nordic Spirit, 1994.
* Sonsteby, Gunnar. Report from #24. Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 1999.
Stokker, Kathleen. Folklore Fights the Nazis: Humor in Occupied Norway, 1940–1945: Madison, Wisc.: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995, 1997.
Terdal, Leif. Our Escape from Nazi-Occupied Norway: Norwegian Resistance to Nazism. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford Publishing, 2008.
OTHER SOURCES
Interviews with Erling Storrusten and Gunnar Garbo. Oslo, Norway. March 2011.
Norway’s Resistance Museum (Norges Hjemmefronten Museum), Oslo Mil/Akershus, Oslo, Norway.
NOTES ON SPECIFIC REFERENCES IN THE TEXT
There are a great many more words in the English language than there are in Norwegian. Hence, translations from Norwegian into English can vary widely, depending on how the translator chooses to interpret the words. In the case of the Scharffenberg quotation accompanying the section “1945,” I selected from among a variety of translated versions to offer the version easiest for young readers to comprehend.
The version of Odin drinking at Mimir’s well is found in John Gardner’s book, On Moral Fiction.
The episode of the prisoners eating turf and horse manure is based on real events as related by William Fuller and Jack Haines in their book Reckless Courage.
irst and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Erling and Aase-Berit Storrusten for generously sharing the story of their experiences
during the Occupation. I also want to thank Gunnar Garbo for sharing his poignant and powerful story. And thanks to the many Norwegians who steered me to points of interest, and to all the people who told me their stories of courage, hope, and grace. Tusen takk!
Thanks also to Geoff and Else Ward for the wealth of stories that can be found on their website www.wwiinorge.com. The stories kept me transfixed while the sun set, the light faded, and dinnertime came and went—and still I couldn’t stop reading. Thank you for collecting and sharing them.
Mange tusen takk to Johan Bakken, Mette Breder, and Lise Lunge-Larsen for help with translations and Norwegian minutiae; my stellar critique group and others who read all or parts of the manuscript, especially Pasha Kahn, soccer and espionage adviser; illustrator Yuko Shimizu; garrison cartographer Ann Gumpper; and (secret) agent Steve Fraser.
